AmericanPapist Comments
Look! There's an elephant here in the room!
ohhhhhh.... we get it now!
Looks like someone got a nice spritz from a can of Papal whoop-a*s.
Yesssssss!!!!!!!!
I really liked when Papa Beni told the bishops that they had to set the example that their priests should follow. Like the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep.
Dr. Papa Benedetto diagnosed the problem: "Let us be quite frank: the ability to cultivate vocations to the priesthood and the religious life is a sure sign of the health of a local Church." i.e. Those dioceses that are having problems with vocations better look & see where they need to change.
& the entire speech has given them the guidelines. Let's hope they listen.
He emphasised the importance of holy families. Ones who receive the sacraments weekly and pray together. This is where the vocations come. It's not rocket science.
That the sex abuse scandal was a result of "clerics [who] have betrayed their priestly obligations and duties by such gravely immoral behavior." But it was worsened, prolonged, and abetted by some Bishops, a number of whom appear to have committed perjury. Fine to blame the priests who committed the acts, but I would have like to have seen a bit stronger language than "it had been badly handled" with regard to the actions of the Bishops. The scandal has been a terrible blow to the moral authority of the Church and a comfort to haters of the Church everywhere.
Re: Erick
Two days into his trip, and the Holy Father has spoken three times on the scandal: while on the airplane, while speaking to the bishops, and during the (outside-of-the-homily-and-consecration-slightly-
painful) Mass at Nationals Park. What would we have him do? He's obviously made healing the wounds of the scandal important to this trip (so important that one might argue--as some have--that he is "shunning" Boston, the scandal's epicenter).
I think that we should consider a point that Mark Shea has made; namely, Benedict is the most "Eastern minded" pope in a millenium. He sees himself as the first among equals (another realization that those who think B16 "opposes" VII should consider). The Church doesn't want him to be--so we shouldn't expect him to be--an Innocent III. It doesn't help any that his job is rather in the line of mercy, compassion, and forgiveness for ALL people--victims and villians alike. He's set the agenda. The bishops AND the laity now need to follow it. (As Mark Shea also pointed out, WE'RE the ones with the guns, jails, civil courts, etc, yet no bishop has been charged.)
The Church--both the People and the Institution--has been wounded in this horrible scandal. At some point, however, we MUST reach for reconciliation, or it will become evident that reconciliation is not wanted, but rather vengance is sought.
May God be praised, now and forever and forever.
Combating Secularism and Effective Evangelization
1. The Holy Father is asked to give his assessment of the challenge of increasing secularism in public life and relativism in intellectual life, and his advice on how to confront these challenges pastorally and evangelize more effectively.
The Pope began by noting that there are different forms of secularism around the world, and that the American version has its own problem, namely, that “it allows for professing belief in God, and respects the public role of religion and the Churches, but at the same time it can subtly reduce religious belief to a lowest common denominator.”
This type of secularism leads to a society where, “Faith becomes a passive acceptance that certain things ‘out there’ are true, but without practical relevance for everyday life. The result is a growing separation of faith from life: living "as if God did not exist". This is aggravated by an individualistic and eclectic approach to faith and religion: far from a Catholic approach to "thinking with the Church", each person believes he or she has a right to pick and choose, maintaining external social bonds but without an integral, interior conversion to the law of Christ. Consequently, rather than being transformed and renewed in mind, Christians are easily tempted to conform themselves to the spirit of this age (cf. Rom 12:3). We have seen this emerge in an acute way in the scandal given by Catholics who promote an alleged right to abortion.”
Perhaps a headline for the media could be: "Pope Catholic: World Stunned!"
Erick
I agree. Though the Pope has spoken about "it" recurringly..."it" has been about the priests not the authorities in a full force manner; he is loathe to admit the part of authorities as in a sense worse spiritually though not worse physically. Both Aquinas and Sartre in different words said that the fall of the best is worst. That is why the fall of people like Cardinal Law who did much for people when younger...is in a sense more disheartening than the fall of the already perverted like Shanley.
Court papers showed that the Curia had a Shanley tape in 1979...quzzed Boston.... and yet Shanley was promoted by Cardinal Law in 1985 to pastor. After the Curia had the tape and inquired of Boston to which Boston gave a general answer and did not mention Shanley in particular and to which general letter the curia acquiesed, Shanley raped a boy less than 11 years old twice in the following years after the Vatican heard the tape. Apparently some Catholic writers think that that is the laity' fault. A laywoman actually warned Law twice to his face that Shanley was dangerous. Law says he does not remember.... but tellingly, he did not state that she was incorrect.
So a laywoman did act and Rome and Law are still not to blame. The laity is to blame even when they act and Rome and Law fail. Teflon....Erick...here is your hint...careers.
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